A Fun Day Out?

Yesterday, I was a lazy pig.

I wrote till I was no longer feeling it, then had a nice chat with my dear friends stateside – nothing to report here because nothing is really going on, but I enjoy visiting with them and hearing of their doings.

And then spent the rest of the evening watching videos.

What a life!

I gotta admit: being a freelance writer has its perks; probably the main was is working in my jammies, safe and warm at home. Not having to brave the elements is particularly great seeing as the elements here can be brutal and turn on a dime.

Mildly ashamed of yesterday’s sluggishness, I resolved this morning to finish my Superprof article, and then shower out and go for a long walk before starting my next assignment.

The day was sunny and the sky was blue; the wind was blustery and cold... all features I could enjoy while strolling along all snugged up in my parka. 

Quick dash into the shower... and the sun is still shining when I came out!

You might be surprised that I would marvel about that. It’s not that I take extended showers, it’s just that the weather here is so unpredictable...

And I was gnawing the insides of my cheeks over the predicted five centimeters of snow we are to get tonight. How will I get to my language class tomorrow evening?

But that’s tomorrow! Today, there are blue skies...

Dressed, and the sky is still blue. Quick! Blow dry the hair and put on the face; lace up the boots and get out before...

No! First, let’s clean up this kitchen! Having done nothing yesterday, I had a bit of catching up to do.

And, as I was scrubbing my frying pan, I heard an insistent, frenetic tapping on the window behind me. Without so much as dimming the day’s light, the sky had become overcast and was furiously pelting little sleet balls!

So furiously were they being pelted that I could hardly see the building across the courtyard.

And then, the wind, not to be outdone was blowing the snow and sleet sideways! In a matter of minutes, everything was dusted in white.

I was astounded. I have witnessed all manner of severe weather, including three straight weeks of rain that put the city of Wuhan underwater. I’ve endured earthquakes, fires and winter storms, too, but usually those last longer than 20 minutes.

That is about how long this one lasted. A few menacing gusts of wind, a flock of flakes turning the world white...

And then the sun came out and the sky turned blue again!

The snow didn’t melt, though.

I felt my desire for a long walk evaporate. Actually, that’s not true: I still have a desire to walk but absolutely no desire to slip and fall on any ice.

Considering I had fallen and broken my arm in optimal weather conditions, I figured it would be just my luck to wipe out and incapacitate myself more than I already am in icy conditions.

My arm is doing much better even though I did not have the recommended surgery. Sometimes it still hurts and I cannot rotate my palm 180 degrees like an arm normally moves, but I have the use of it, if only in a limited capacity.

Besides, I had surgery on my leg when it broke nearly five years ago and still have pain and discomfort from it...

That leg and my sedentary job is why I make it a point to go walking. If I were to give up on that most basic of physical activities... I dread to think of a future as a complete invalid, which is how things would turn out.

Should I let a little bit of snow and sleet deter me from getting any exercise?

Yes! Yes you must, lest you fall again!

“Shut up, Coward!” I said to the inner me, donning my parka and gloves.

However, I did temporize: instead of walking to the mall, I would walk only to the corner grocery store. I had no dire grocery emergency but I did need a destination to walk to that would quell my inner coward’s fears.

Down the stairs; a snap – I’ve long gotten used to clomping up and down those five flights.

Onto the sidewalk and, lo and behold: it was as though no precipitation had crashed down at all!

Oh, wait... no, here’s a bit of ice and here, in this crevice...

It wasn’t until I had to cross the street that things started going badly. The asphalt was covered in glare ice, making my feet slip ever so slightly with each step but it wasn’t until I had crossed the road that I felt I would be unable to move any further. A panic attack was imminent.

Surely, there is no need for a play by play here or, should we say a step by step?

Suffice to say that it was a long argument with my inner coward; it lasted all the way to the store, in fact. Once there, I couldn’t find anything I needed or even wanted to buy but, by all the gods, I had gotten out of the house and braved the icy conditions!

Walking home... I should say stilting home because my legs were as stiff as stilts, I felt no sense of accomplishment or savage glee at having done something so innocuous as walking to the store without falling down and breaking another bone.

Rather, I spent my first few minutes back home wondering how in the world I would cope with greater, more persistent snowfalls, starting with the one predicted for later tonight.

Unbidden, the thought came that maybe Szczecin is not the place for me... 

I remember having  similar doubts in China at about the same time. Around three months in, I simply didn’t think I could hack living there and look what happened: an adventure that lasted seven years!

Now I have a whole new set of circumstances to deal with; am I going to let a bit of snow deter me?